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Animals gain benefits from group living through increased probability of predator detection, dilution of individual risk and confusion of predators during attack. A further benefit involves larger groups in which individuals may further decrease the amount of time spent being vigilant, while maintaining the probability of predator detection by allocation of this extra time to foraging activities. Living in groups or flocks, however, also incurs costs, e.g., by increasing inter-group competition, with negative impacts on intake rates. Our aim was to investigate the trade-offs between the costs of competition and the benefits of group living in contrasted habitats. For prey species that rely on sight for detecting predators, vegetation structure may influence the perceived predation risk. Hence, we experimentally examined the combined effects of vegetation height and inter-individual distance on foraging time, intake rate and foraging efficiency in a granivorous species, the Eurasian Skylark ( Alauda arvensis). Our experimental results based on temporally captive birds indicate that time devoted to foraging decreased with increasing inter-individual distance, but was unrelated to cover height. Conversely, increasing both vegetation height and distance with other group members did translate into a foraging disadvantage, i.e. reduced intake rate as well as foraging efficiency. Overall, our results show that both vegetation structure and inter-individual distances modify patch profitability, and therefore provide another example of how flock dynamics can influence the trade-off between vigilance and foraging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial differentiation in avian models has been extensively studied at a coarse scale for both theoretical and conservation purposes. Yet, studies at a finer spatial scale are also particularly relevant in birds because their dispersal ability may be much more reduced than expected. In the Forest Thrush Turdus lherminieri, we studied morphological characters commonly used to assess differentiation because they mirror both demographic and selective processes. The Forest Thrush is an endemic and vulnerable Antillean bird species which has dramatically declined in the last 15 years, and whose population functioning and structure remain unknown. We compared birds from 11 sites in Guadeloupe, which were distributed from 2 to 42 km apart over the two main geographic zones of the island (i.e. Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre). Using two synthetic descriptors (for body size and feather size), we detected a strong micro-geographic differentiation between Forest thrush populations for the body-size descriptor but not for the feather-size descriptor. Both males and females were significantly larger in Basse-Terre than in Grande-Terre despite the fine geographic scale. Several hypotheses could explain these results: (i) geographic isolation and differentiation caused by (1)absence of gene flow, (2) phenotypic plasticity, or (3) divergence with gene flow. Although further investigation is needed to identify the exact process generating phenotypic divergence, our study provides a first highlight to the high local variability of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skylarks ( Alauda arvensis) are known to adopt a typical aggregative behaviour during the wintering period. A further benefit is that individuals in larger groups can decrease the amount of time they spent being vigilant, while maintaining a high probability of predator detection. Using wild birds temporarily housed in outdoor aviaries, we investigated the influence of group size (1, 2 and 4 individuals) on individual time budget (vigilance vs. foraging), and the pecking (number of pecks) and intake rates (number of seeds consumed). Results showed that individuals reduced their vigilance and increased their pecking rate when group size increased. However, the intake rate was not maximised in the largest group suggesting that large flocks would negatively affect individual foraging efficiency. A consideration of the whole set of costs and benefits will be necessary before the adaptive value of group living in any species can be fully assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]